M. Norman Oliver, MD
M. Norman Oliver, MD, returned to the School of Medicine last fall to teach a PHS course titled “U.S. Healthcare: Policy, Organization, and Administration.” He brings a unique perspective to the content, drawing from his vast experience in various aspects of healthcare. In addition to teaching the PHS course, Dr. Oliver also currently serves as a senior advisor to the McChrystal Group.
Prior to his new role as an educator in the School of Medicine, Dr. Oliver served as the State Health Commissioner at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) from 2018-2022. As the head of the VDH, he led the Commonwealth of Virginia’s COVID-19 pandemic response. He assumed this role after previously serving as the Deputy Commissioner for Population Health for the VDH from 2017-2018. Dr. Oliver worked diligently to help build cross-agency and multi-sector approaches to implementing population health initiatives. Throughout each of these leadership roles, Dr. Oliver worked with others in the health department, other state agencies, and healthcare systems across the state to ensure equitable healthcare and improve the well-being of all citizens of the Commonwealth.
Before accepting the VDH appointment, Dr. Oliver was the Walter M. Seward Professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at UVA from 2011-2017. As chair, Dr. Oliver helped lead the transformation of the department’s clinic sites into patient-centered practices focused on population health. He also served as associate dean for diversity for the School of Medicine from 2003 – 2008.
During his previous research, Dr. Oliver focused on investigating the social, economic, and cultural factors leading to racial and ethnic health inequities. As a UVA Health System clinical leader, Dr. Oliver worked to help the health system address these social determinants of health affecting the patients and communities served by UVA.
Dr. Oliver earned his degree of Doctor of Medicine from Case Western Reserve University, where he also obtained a Master’s degree in medical anthropology. After training in family medicine at Case, he served a family medicine residency at University Hospital in Cleveland. He then practiced broad-spectrum family medicine in rural Alaska for two years before joining the UVA Department of Family Medicine in 1998.
Dr. Oliver is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice, and he has received numerous prestigious medical awards. Dr. Oliver also holds membership in several international and national professional associations, including the International Society for Equity in Health.